Kahleah Copper received a warning letter from the WNBA after picking up her fifth technical foul of the season during Tuesday's 11-point loss to the Chicago Sky.
The Phoenix Mercury guard and Sky forward Natasha Cloud were assessed double technicals with 57 seconds left in the third quarter following a heated exchange.
As a result, Copper now faces a WNBA fine of $1,000, which is the standard penalty for a player's fourth through seventh technical fouls. Teammate Alyssa Thomas also received a tech in the game and is due a separate $1,000 fine for her fourth technical of the season.
Kahleah Copper Faces Suspension Risk Over WNBA Fouls
Beyond the financial hit, the foul puts Copper on thin ice. Her five WNBA fouls rank second in the league this season, tying her with Caitlin Clark and trailing only Angel Reese.
Under the new CBA rules, the league enforces an automatic one-game suspension once a player reaches eight technicals.
That threshold looms large for the Phoenix Mercury. Copper is averaging more than 20 points per game and remains the team's top scorer. With Phoenix sitting at 8-14 and 22 games still to play, losing her to a suspension could derail any late-season push.
The Mercury next face another physical test in tomorrow's Indiana Fever rematch at 10 PM ET on Prime Video.
Caitlin Clark and DeWanna Bonner got into a heated altercation during the fourth quarter of the Indiana Fever's 86-77 win over the Phoenix Mercury on Monday night. The two tangled on a physical possession with seven minutes left as officials hit Clark with her fifth technical foul of the season.
Tensions Boil Over Between Indiana Fever and Phoenix Mercury
Things quickly spiraled after the play.
Fever guard Sophie Cunningham stepped to the veteran Mercury forward, and both former teammates received double technical fouls. Indiana forward Myisha Hines-Allen then shoved Bonner and was ejected after earning a second technical. The chaos stretched the fourth quarter to 44 minutes.
Despite the foul frenzy, Clark still finished with 24 points and nine assists to lead the Fever to the win. However, the fallout extends beyond the box score.
Caitlin Clark Nears WNBA Suspension After 5th Technical Foul
Under the WNBA's updated fine structure for 2026, Clark's fifth technical carries a $1,000 penalty.
The escalating system, introduced under the league's new CBA, jumps to $1,500 per technical starting at eight. That eighth tech also triggers an automatic one-game suspension, with every other technical after that adding yet another missed game.
Clark now sits three technicals away from that threshold. After the game, she made clear she thought the call was absurd.
"It's ridiculous, I got a technical for clapping," she told reporters. "We should all just go on the calendar now and pick a game I'm going to be suspended for if I'm going to get technicals for clapping."
The Fever and Mercury meet again Wednesday at 7:30 PM ET, live on USA Network.
The WNBA officially rescinded the technical foul assessed to Dallas Wings guard Paige Bueckers during Friday's game against the Atlanta Dream.
Officials originally penalized Bueckers in the third quarter after she clapped three times following a whistle. At the time, Dallas was staging a comeback before ultimately losing 86-69.
The league's reversal wipes out Bueckers's automatic $500 fine, preserving her clean disciplinary record for the season.
Bueckers expressed surprise over the original whistle. On Saturday, the second-year guard stated that she was simply celebrating during a scoring run.
"I was hyped and showing passion and joy and I got penalized for that," Bueckers told press during a practice session after the game.
"I know they're putting an emphasis on controlling the game more, not letting it get to be a bloodbath as much as it was last year. [But] we were down a ton and we're making a run, so we're obviously going to be hyped up and showing a bunch of passion and joy and fire, like, that's what basketball's all about."
Paige Bueckers-Alysha Clark Bet Stays Intact After WNBA Call
Teammate Alysha Clark reportedly assisted Bueckers with the official appeal process. The veteran forward provided evidence to submit to the league, saying she felt the penalty was unwarranted.
The reversal keeps a friendly offseason bet alive between the pair. Bueckers wagered that she could finish the season without a technical foul. However, Clark joked that she preferred to win legitimately rather than via an undeserving penalty.
Despite her frustration with the whistle, Bueckers acknowledged that WNBA officials face a very difficult task.
"I would never want to be a ref. It's a really extremely hard job," she said. "And they get criticized just as much as the players."
Bueckers and the Wings next face the Las Vegas Aces at home on Thursday at 8 PM ET, live on Prime.
The WNBA issued a $500 fine to Chicago Sky center Kamilla Cardoso following an on-court exchange during Saturday's Sky vs Lynx matchup.
The league handed down the financial penalty after a tense matchup against Minnesota, producing the Chicago big's first technical foul of the 2026 WNBA season.
The incident occurred during the second quarter of Chicago's 85-75 loss to Minnesota, when Cardoso got into a physically intense battle with Lynx center Emese Hof.
Things escalated quickly, as Cardoso appeared to throw the basketball at Hof during an in-bound play.
Moments later, the two players exchanged heated words before officials and teammates could separate them. Refs reviewed the play and assessed a double technical foul to both players.
WNBA Technical Foul Fine Rules Explained
According to official WNBA rules, any technical foul carries an automatic monetary penalty.
The league charges players $500 for each of their first three techs of the season. Additional offenses subsequently trigger higher fines, maxing out at $1,500 per violation.
Because this marks the first tech for Cardoso this year, she'll pay the baseline $500 penalty.
Despite the disciplinary action, Cardoso anchored the Sky offensively. She led Chicago with 17 points and collected seven rebounds in 23 minutes of play. But her scoring output wasn't enough to overcome the Lynx, as Minnesota eventually secured the 10-point victory.
The Sky's next test will come at home against 2026 expansion side Toronto Tempo on Wednesday at 8 PM ET, live on WNBA League Pass.
The WNBA is officially increasing penalties for technical fouls, flagrant fouls, and flopping ahead of the 2026 season.
The updated system comes as player salaries rise significantly under the league's new CBA. Fines are also increasing across multiple categories.
Under the new structure, players will now receive a $500 fine for each of their first three technical fouls of the season — up from $200 last season. A player's fourth through seventh technical foul will cost $1,000 each, with every tech after that resulting in a $1,500 fine.
Suspensions will begin once a player reaches eight technical fouls, with every other technical after that triggering an additional suspension.
The WNBA also adjusted its flagrant foul penalties.
In the league's previous point system, a Flagrant 1 equals one point while a Flagrant 2 equals two points. However, beginning with the 2026 WNBA season, each point will carry a $500 fine. This is more than double last year's $200-per-point structure.
Players also face suspensions for reaching certain point totals. If a player with three points is charged with a Flagrant 2, they automatically receive a two-game suspension. Any player who accumulates six total points also faces a two-game suspension.
Flopping violations will also be more heavily enforced.
A first offense will result in a warning. Meanwhile, further violations will carry escalating fines starting at $100, increasing by $100 for each additional offense.
While flopping violations were previously subject to discipline, the league hadn't publicly disclosed fine costs.
WNBA officiating is once again taking center stage, with multiple head coaches reportedly issued fines after criticizing referee conduct in the weekend's playoff action.
Minnesota head coach Cheryl Reeve earned an ejection and suspension for attempting to confront referees during the Lynx's Game 3 semifinals loss on Friday, with the WNBA later handing her a $15,000 fine for lambasting officials in her postgame interview.
"The officiating crew that we had tonight, for the leadership to deem those three people semifinals playoff worth is f—ing malpractice," Reeve told reporters last Friday.
Following Reeve's suspension, Indiana Fever head coach Stephanie White and Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon voiced public support for Reeve and her concerns, with sources saying they each received a $1,000 fine for their comments.
"[Reeve] made a lot of valid points," White said on Sunday. "A lot of the same kind of conversations are happening. It's happening from every team, from every franchise, from every coach, from every player."
"From what I heard, she did not tell a lie," Hammon said of Reeve. "She said the truth. I think something has to change."
Officiating problems aren't new for the WNBA, but as the league's popularity explodes, refereeing disparities are now under an unprecedented spotlight.
"Every part of our league has gotten better, and that part has lagged behind, for whatever reason," White continued. "Oftentimes, it's infrastructure in terms of training, oftentimes, it's financial. And it's really investing in who we have as officials.... How do we keep them growing and getting better?"